


Once In A Blue Moon

by Justiceway



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Action & Romance, Angst, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Romance, i dont know what else to tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-26 23:22:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9928556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justiceway/pseuds/Justiceway
Summary: The story takes place right after the courier frees benny from the legion and they both escape. The courier, Leo, prevents Benny from running off and instead suggests the two work together to create an independent New Vegas. Benny agrees and they both start their journey back to the strip.





	1. The road to Vegas

**Author's Note:**

> The courier in this story is my personal courier, Leo. If you would like to learn more about him please leave a comment below.
> 
> In the story, Leo ended up sleeping with benny shortly after meeting him, just like one of the black widow interactions in the game. The rest of it is pretty consistant with the actual story, though instead of Benny running off and you never seeing him again (which was BS imo) I edited that part a bit.

Getting shot by an army of Legion soldiers had not been on Leo’s to-do list, then again almost everything bad that happens to him _usually_ isn’t.

Apparently, tricking the all-mighty Caesar into thinking he destroyed Mr.House’s bunker was easy enough. The hard part was freeing the leader of the Chairmen even though Caesar agreed that Leo got to decide his fate.Leo would’ve never imagined having to team up with the man that shot him not once, but _twice,_ in the head. Leaving him with memory loss, and some other brain condition he couldn't figure out.Now that Leo found himself safe from the Legion, he stopped running and looked behind him, searching for Benny.He took a while to catch his breath before calling out to him.

“We should be safe now, you don't have to hide anymore.”

Within a few seconds Benny was standing right in front of of him, taking off the Stealth Boy on his wrist.“Baby, I never thought generosity even _existed_ in the mojave. Though I have to ask… why? Thought you would’ve like taking revenge on me after everything I did to you.

”Leo shook his head, “If you think I did it out of kindness, you’re wrong. Everything I do from here on out is for Vegas.”

“Right. Then this is where I show myself out. Had a nice run, don’t ruin my legacy, baby.”

Benny turned around and dismissed Leo with his hand. Before he could take a step Leo turned him around and grabbed his tie, pulling the chairmen’s face only inches away from his own.

“Listen, you’re not going anywhere,” the courier insisted. “We will be working together whether you like it or not.Don’t even think about complaining ‘cause you asked for this the moment you decided to take my chip.”Benny frowned at Leo’s words,”You watch who you’re talking to, _courier.”_ Leo let go of his tie, Benny was quick to adjust it once he did so. “What happened to you? You seemed much more happy about working with me before.”

“I was drunk,”Leo replied coolly. Before Benny had a chance to reply, Leo quickly began to explain the situation to him.“It will take four days to get back to Vegas, Any longer and people will start thinking somethings up. I swear that Radio host has people _everywhere_.

”Leo held up Pip-boy and motioned for benny to come closer. He pointed to their location on the green map. “We’re about a few miles outside Cottonwood cove, anymore and we enter a radiation zone.”

Leo scrolled a ways up till new vegas was on the center of the screen. Benny turned away and began heading north to New Vegas, “What’re we waiting for then? Let’s go.”

Leo couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle of amusement at his enthusiasm, “You sure you know the way? Could’ve sworn living in the strip has made you go soft.” The Chairmen stopped in his tracks and flashed the courier a smirk, “Baby, you can’t even begin to  _imagine_ the roads I’ve walked.”

\------------------

It was almost night by the time the two had reached some sort of cave shelter. The only problem was that a small hoard of ferals were near the entrance.Though most of Nevada was flat, there were some Sand dunes that allowed for cover, it wasn’t the best, but it allowed the two to avoid being seen by the ghouls.

“You go around and distract them while I shoot them from afar,dig?”

Leo raised an eyebrow at his plan, “Are you forgetting the fact that they’re fast and would probably eat me alive?”

“Baby don’t be koi, I’ve seen what that powerfist of yours can do. If you can knock out five legion boys without breaking a sweat then you can handle some ferals.”

Leo could only let out a sigh of frustration at the fact that Benny was absolutely right. It was the only plan they had and it was better than having no plan at all. Leo let in a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

“Alright. But if you kill us both i’ll come back just to piss on your grave.”Leo first digged through his bag, and took out the ranger helmet that allowed for infrared sight. Once it was on, the courier silently made his way around the hoard of Ferals, using the small hills as cover. Life in the mojave taught him that they had a really bad sense of hearing, but their sight made up for it. Ferals were almost like wild animals, except Leo couldn't help but think of them as humans. Most had become ferals after the bombs fell, others were ghouls who had turned feral after a long period of time. Each and every one of them used to have families, they used to have something to fight for. Now, they were as dead as the old world.Leo felt bad for them, but when it came down to it, it was either you or them, and he didn’t feel like dying for the second time.

As Leo was inching towards the hoard, he heard a cracking sound. He stepped on a piece of stray tumbleweed. Suddenly, the ferals let out a screech and began to charge in his direction. Before they could get to him, Leo desperately called out to benny, “YOU MIGHT WANT TO START SHOOTING RIGHT ABOUT NOW!” Leo held his fist up, and lunged at the oncoming threat. He could feel the powerfist break the ribcage of a feral as he punched through its torso. Blood splattered everywhere as the first went down, but there were about fifteen more to go. Within seconds Leo was surrounded by the ghouls, Leo kept punching through the hoard, hoping to break through, though more kept coming. Soon his vision went blurry, all he could feel was the powerfist making contact with each ghoul, and knocking them down one by one.

 _You trusted Benny you idiot! He left you and now you’re going to die! What were you thinking?_ Leo was about to get overrun when suddenly he heard a gunshot, and the sound of a body hitting the floor. Several more came until there were no more left to. Leo knelt down,panting heavily as if he had been drowning.When he looked up, he saw Benny walking towards him, completely untouched.

“You’re late” Leo grumbled, “Fashionably so” the chairman replied.

“ **I nearly got overrun by those things!** ” Benny shrugged”You didn’t.You’re more than capable of handling those kinds of situations by yourself. Anyway, the reason I acted so late was because I was securing the entrance while they were distracted by you. A few ferals were in there, but I cleared it out.”

Leo couldn’t deny the fact that it was a pretty good excuse, their shelter was secure so now they could rest.

“Then let’s get outta here.”After clearing out the bodies, Leo got to take a good look at their shelter.Within the cave was a reloading bench, some boxes of ammunition, a hotplate, a campfire and two mattresses. It was fairly small, though anything was better than sleeping out in the open. Leo let out a sigh of relief, _especially_ at the last part, he didn’t plan on sharing a bed with the Chairmen again. Leo put down his equipment near one of the beds, and took off his power arm. As Benny entered the shelter he commented on it’s interior.

“Decent place, haven’t slept like this in years.” Leo perked at his comment “What’d you mean? Thought you lived in Vegas your whole life.” Benny laughed at the Courier’s reply. He didn't explain himself until he made his way to his mattress and sat down.“Thought I told you about it that night. I, and the other families on the strip, all used to be tribal.” Leo made his way to the mattress across from his, interested in benny’s history. “ _You_ used to be _tribal_ ? You can’t be serious.” Leo couldn’t imagine the clean-cut gangster walking the mojave with everyone else. The way he talked, even his mannerisms seemed to tell an entirely different story, but at the same time, it didn’t sound too far fetched.

“Thats right. We called ourselves the boot riders. We roamed the mojave like everyone else. I like to think we were more civilized than those Khan's. We were a lot of things, but a fink ain’t one of ‘em. our leadership was based on our ability to negotiate and charm the other tribes.” Leo could’ve sworn he saw a glint of nostalgia in the chairman’s eyes when he talked about his former tribe, but it quickly left as he moved on.

“You know the rest of the story, baby, Mr.House recruited three tribes to move onto the strip and help reconstruct New Vegas. Our tribe was the first, and we’ve been the Chairmen ever since.” Benny went on telling the Courier stories, sometimes they would laugh other times they would argue. Leo was always quick to anger, and his respect for Benny was very low considering what he had put him through. Eventually silence fell over the two as Leo started up a fire, they both stared at the flame, hesitant to say anything else.

Finally, when the crackling of the wood became too much for him, Leo spoke out. “I asked about Vegas because I only just recently moved here, or at least got into its affairs. My mother and I lived in New mexico, but when raiders called the bobcats started taking over, we fled to a settlement just outside primm. She lives there still. “What about your pops?” Benny asked, it surprised Leo that Benny was even interested at all. “He died when I was young. He was an NCR soldier, one day he went off and just… never came back… a-at least I think that's what happened.”  Out of frustration from not being able to remember his past, Leo muttered a few curses and looked up at Benny. “It’s all your fault y’know, I don't even know if my damn _family_ is alive thanks to you.”

 Anyone could see the anger in his eyes, but Bennys’ smart, he could see the sadness that engulfed Leo every time he mentioned his memory loss or how he crawled out of his grave. Benny couldn’t blame the him, he would act the same way if the situation was reversed, so instead he sighed, and attempted to explain himself.

“Baby, what I did to you was rotten, I know that, but I want you to look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't've done the same thing.” Oddly enough, his anger depleted after benny’s statement. He would have done the same thing if he was in benny’s position, so if he continued to stay mad he would be a hypocrite. Leo stood up, and walked towards the door.

“I’ll take the first shift” the courier muttered. Benny seemed satisfied with Leo’s response, laid down and tried to fall asleep, certain Leo wouldn’t kill him. If he wanted to, the Courier would have done it a long time ago. Leo sat down across from the door, a pistol in his coat, and began his wait.

 


	2. [Insert good title here]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benny gets his ass kicked and Leo doesnt realize he has feelings for the person who tried to murder him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait y'all, ive been going through some rough times so i havent been able to write. Chapters will be updates every sunday from here on out!

The hours passed by quickly thanks to the holovids of pre-war shows and songs Leo had on his pip-boy.When the clock hit 4AM, Leo stood up and made his way to the mattresses so he could wake Benny for his shift, but when he approached him, he hesitated. The chairman seemed rather peaceful, yet he was also unprotected. Leo could end him right then and there if he really wanted to, but of course he wouldn't. If it were anyone else, Benny would be dead by now,that's how things are in the mojave. Thankfully, Leo saw the usefulness of keeping him alive. For Vegas he agreed to work with Benny, and vice versa. Just as Leo was about to reach down and wake up, he noticed Benny was shaking, and clutching the mattress. Leo cocked his head in curiosity, _is he...having a nightmare? Is he cold? Maybe it’s both_

Leo was sure it was a nightmare he'd had many nightmares before.Some would be of some big explosion of a settlement he and his mom lived in, though something about those dreams seemed almost too realistic. As for being cold, well, Benny didn't seem to wear any heavy clothing, and the cave’s temperature  was quite low. Leo couldn't solve both his problems, but he could solve one of them. He took off his ranger coat, and placed it onto the chairmen. He seemed to feel it as soon as leo did so, and covered himself with it.Looking at the chairman, Leo sighed and sat on the mattress near Benny’s feet. This was the second time he had seen Benny in such a  vulnerable state.The first was a blur since he was highly intoxicated, which was why he slept with him in the first place. Leo cupped his hands on his face for a minute, and when he uncovered them, he found himself staring at Benny. There was something about the chairman that captivated him, it made him want to know more about him. Leo was able to fool himself into think he was only working with him for Vegas, he would never admit that maybe he was slightly interested in the Chairman, not even in a romantic way, but rather out of curiosity. It took a while before Leo stood up, and gently shook Benny’s shoulder in an attempt to wake him. “Hurry up, it's your turn and I want to sleep.” lt took a good ten seconds for Benny to rise and groggily wipe his eyes. He stared at Leo, blinked a few times, and made his way to the entrance of the cave, still clutching the ranger coat Leo placed on him. Satisfied, Leo laid on his mattress, using his arms as a pillow, and dozed off.

\---

Leo found himself near a settlement surrounded by old-world buildings. The pre-war flag of America was hung up proudly by the people who lived there. 200 years later they were closer to restoring the old world’s ideals than any other faction, even the NCR. They were only a small settlement, but their beliefs were as strong as any other. The courier blinked, and suddenly his mother was next to him, smiling. Before he could say anything an explosion went off in the distance, as soon as Leo saw it, he acted. “FIND COVER!” he yelled, but no one seemed to have heard him. The land seemed to stretch before him, distancing him and his mom.He desperately tried running to her, but it was to no use. In the background he could hear someone calling his name, but he didn’t care. The last thing he saw was his mother’s smile before the flame engulfed her. Before anything else could happen, he was pulled out of the reality.

“Leo!” he could feel someone shaking him, his vision was blurry, but when it finally cleared he could see it was the chairman. He seemed to notice Leo was awake, so he pulled back and sat on the edge of the mattress. “You sounded like you were dying. Any more noise you could’ve attracted ferals miles away from here.”

Leo sighed, “For a second I thought I was.” The two sat in silence before Benny stood up, and offered his hand to Leo. The courier was hesitant at first, but accepted his help and brought himself to his feet. “Benny, before we go there is something we have to do if you want to keep your skin.” Benny’s brows furrowed a the comment, “What do you mean?” Leo crossed his arms “You can’t possibly think that you can walk around the mojave with that suit of yours and _not_ get shot within five seconds? Nevermind that fancy gun.” Benny raised an eyebrow at his words “What’re you gonna do ‘bout it then?” Leo turned around and went to his backpack, within a few seconds he pulled out the old courier duster he used to wear. He then stood up and silently tossed it to the chairman.

“You _got_ to be kidding me, you want me to wear this old thing?

“That’s right, don’t worry I’ll take care of that fancy suit of yours.”

“And what about my pistol? Maria is one ring-a-ding gun and there ain’t no way in hell im leavin’ ‘er.”

Leo couldn’t hold back a smile as he replied “You can take it but you’re not using it, i'm gonna teach you how to use your own two fists. Relying just on a gun will get you killed real quick, especially when the legion uses both guns and close combat. Our sparring lesson begins now, ‘dig’?” Benny tilted his head at the suggestion. “Baby, maybe those two bullets scrambled your brains so I forgive your forgetfulness. I _know_ how to fight already.” Leo shrugged “Then it should be easy. Oh, and I expect to be handed back my coat after this.” The courier dismissed Benny with his hand and walked out of the shelter.

He didn’t mind waiting outside for a while, the sun was just starting to rise. He loved when it hit just the right spot and caused New Vegas to light up. Suddenly, his silence was interrupted by the Chairman, “So...How do I look?” he asked.Benny was wearing the Courier duster Leo had given him a few minutes ago. Leo glanced at benny’s attire “You look like everyone else now, not some pampered house guest.” Benny threw Leo his coat and smirked, “Where we’re goin’ there won't be anymore house.”Leo slipped his coat back on and replied,

“One step at a time, first we start our lesson, then we focus on getting rid of house.”Moving a few feet away from benny, he began the routine.“Alright, you try to hit me, let's see if living in that suite of yours really made you soft.” Leo was in a classic boxing position. Two arms positioned in front of him while his feet were a foot or two apart from each other.  Just like in any kind of self-defence position, his weight was on his toes, allowing him to move faster and doge easier.Before he could think, benny move forward, attempting to jab. But Leo was quicker, he moved his torso around Benny’s arm and jumped to the side, quickly bringing his arm around and attempting a left hook, which would have landed if it were an actual fight. “you’re too slow, and you left yourself open to an attack.” Benny shrugged “Guess i'm just distracted is all”

“Well you won't be distracted when a legion soldier stabs his spear through your stomach. Lets try it again.”

The two went at it for at least three more sessions, Leo winning each of them. Finally, Leo had the answer to Benny’s problem. “Benny, stand in a fighting position.” The chairman rolled his eyes and took his stance. Quickly, leo took the hook of his  right foot and slammed it into the back of Benny’s left heel, causing him to fall right on his back. “The hell was that for?!?” “Testing your stance, you wouldn’t have lost balance if one foot wasn't too far in front of the other.” Leo offered him his hand and Benny was quick to accept it. The chairman sighed “Alright” he began, “why don't we just go through the basics?” Leo seemed to have liked his suggestion.”Alright, first stance.”

 

Leo wasn’t aware of how much time had passed until the training session was near completion. The courier could tolerate the senseless flirting and snarky remarks that benny made throughout their session. Though if there were two things he was certain about, it would be that one, Benny was damn smart, he caught on to Leo’s teaching within two-three tries. And two, he could charm the pants off a snake if he wanted to, if the Courier didn’t know better, he himself might have fell for his words.

“Alright, before we pack up for Novac I want to see what you’ve learned.”

“Fine with me, baby.”

The two started out about a yard apart. Without hesitation, Benny moved toward Leo and attempted a left hook. Leo blocked it with his arms and went for a jab while the chairman was open, and if it were a real right, his nose would have been broken. The two never hit each other, though sometimes Leo would slip in a light hit or two when Benny lost focus. Benny retaliated with an uppercut, which nearly made contact with Leo. “Gotcha” the chairmen teased, Leo couldn’t help but smile, he _had_  learned something. Leo took a step forward, tricking Benny into thinking he was open and going for another jab. As soon as his arm lashed out Leo grabbed it, used his leg to trip Benny into doing a frontflip and landing hard on his back.”Okay smooth-talker, the wind is starting to pick up so we better start heading to Novac.” Leo walked back inside the shelter to pick up his equipment.He turned to Benny who was now dusting his new coat off, there was something different about the chairman that Leo couldn’t quite put his finger on. It took a few seconds for him to realize he was staring at Benny,the courier shook his head and walked passed his partner, resting his hand on his shoulder for a few seconds while he passed by to signal that they were starting to move. The pair started walking north together relatively silent, until Leo could no longer keep his thoughts to himself.

“Do you ever try to imagine what the old world was like?”

“Vegas is the closest thing to the old world you’re gonna get. Bright lights shining pretty as you please, people getting drunk any chance they get.”

Leo chuckled, it did seem possible they were just like how people were then, slowly his enthusiasm dropped. “Why did it have to end? Now people suffer, the consequences of what happened.” Benny simply shrugged “Baby, I don't got all the answers, but i’ll tell ya this. If the world was so messed up to the point everyone set off 41 flavors of atomic bombs then maybe this is our chance to rebuild.” Leo stopped walking, the courier could’ve sworn he saw something in the distance. “What? Did my words finally win you over?” And there it was, about ten legion soldier coming from a hill, a little ways from where the two were walking. By squinting he could see one of them had a spear, and from experience he knew they could lug those things far.

“Duck.”

“What?”

“DUCK!” Leo tackled benny to the ground, hearing the spear race past his ear as he did so.

“FOR CAESAR!” Leo found himself pinning the chairman to the ground “Baby, as much as I enjoy the position we’re in, we have to deal with those brutes first.” Leo sighed and quickly rolled off his partner, and stood up.The courier fished through his messenger bag for his powerfist and Benny’s pistol. When he found it he hastily tossed it to the chairman who was desperately waiting for something to defend himself with. The group of legion soldiers would meet them any second now. The pair looked at each other, nodded, and prepared themselves for the incoming battle.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing a fic so I apologize if the formatting is a little off. I wanted to join AO3 and post these types of fics because I see way too many cishet girls sexualizing gay relationships. Im a gay trans guy who enjoys writing so I decided to commit some of my ideas to the fandom.


End file.
